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The Desert

On est tu heureux hen. / 2021 / 22 min. / Canada / FRENCH / SUBS ENGLISH

Synopsis

A film about the existence of an invisible artwork. In fact this is false, it is visible. But you have never seen it, because it has been in the Sahara Desert since June 2017. At least that is what we believe, because nobody knows what has happened to it since its installation. The Desert (the film) tells of the twisted circumstances in which this object ended up in the desert (the arid and little-known space).

How does an abandoned work of art feel in the middle of the desert? Only she can reveal it to you, that is why she is the protagonist of the film. Besides, why does she speak with a German accent?

In this relentless flow of sandy adventures, humans are not given the mic. They are not the only ones with expertise. Have you ever been mansplained to by a mineral? With lucidity and dryness, all that which we did not know about objects, extraterrestrials, dunes, the fate reserved to artworks, existence and the edges of reality is now revealed. Have you ever tried to film a mirage? As Lao-Tseu said, it is not because it is a documentary that it must be a documentary.

Cast & Crew

  • Screenplay : On est tu heureux hen. (duo Frédérique Laliberté et Sarah L'Hérault)
  • Cinematographer : On est tu heureux hen.
  • Editor : On est tu heureux hen.
  • Sound : Philippe Lauzier
  • Sound mix : Robin Servant
  • Sound editor : Robin Servant et On est tu heureux hen.
  • Music : Philippe Lauzier
  • Artistic director : On est tu heureux hen.
  • Cast : Agathe Lanctôt, Pierre Etienne Rouillard, Maryse Laliberté, Alain Laberge, Philippe Lauzier, Bruno Mühlemann, Frédérique Laliberté, Sarah L'Hérault, Yassine Bencheikh, Sairi Lakder, Kamal Rouissi, Miro Bernier-Barbeau

Genre

Documentaire

Topics

Visual art, Culture and society

Trailer

Biography

On est tu heureux hen. was founded in 2008 on a cold February day by Frédérique Laliberté and Sarah L’Hérault. Its astrological sign is Aquarius. On est tu heureux hen. is the victim of a fatal attraction for large enterprises - risky, dangerous and even impossible, would have said some witnesses. This tendency for adventurous art leads the collective into complex projects which give rise to strange solutions and paradoxical detours. The result is an irreverent but insightful practice, that could not be identified, explained or documented without recourse to arbsurd strategies. Exploring the relations between reality and trickery, between factual events and their fictions, On est tu heureux hen. likes to simulate and extrapolate what is, and what could have been. Their practice takes inconvenient and unusual forms while using processes like oral presentation, cultural mediation, translation, documentary film, choreography, digital image manipulation, photo reportage, administrative formalities, public announcement and tunnel making.

Originally from Limoilou, On est tu heureux hen. currently lives in Montreal and has presented their work in Quebec City, Vanier, Wendake, Montreal, Mexico, Switzerland, in the Sahara desert and on the Internet. The collective holds not one but two masters – the MFA Studio Arts - Intermedia at Concordia University (Montreal) and the MA in Contemporary art practices at Haute École d’Art et de Design de Genève (Geneva).

On est tu heureux hen. would like to point out that its name comes with a period and that "hen" is spelled "hen", because it is a peaceful statement and not a question. On est tu heureux hen. gradually realizes that they tend to be involved in a never ending problematic, that turns out to be the very sense of their practice and that must be kept a secret at all costs.

Festivals

- 2021 -
In competition | Festival International du Film sur l'Art, Canada
In competition | Art Gallery of Hamilton Film Festival, Canada

- 2022 -
In competition | ULTRAcinema, Mexico
In competition | Cinema on the Bayou, USA
In competition | GeekFest Toronto, Canada
In competition | Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, Canada
In competition | Festival EllesTournent Dames Draaien, Belgium



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